"Coach, don't I deserve a max contract?" Alonzo Mourning demanded angrily of Pat Riley.
It was already August, yet the Heat had still failed to give him any promise of an extension.
Mourning was unquestionably the league's second-best center. Especially now that David Robinson had chosen to retire and Dikembe Mutombo was gradually aging, Mourning could practically do whatever he wanted in the league.
Pat Riley fell silent.
Did Mourning's current performance warrant a max contract?
Of course.
The league's second-best center deserved a max deal on any team.
But Mourning was no longer young. He was already thirty-three.
His performance had begun to decline.
Mourning had always been outstanding in the regular season, but over all these years, the number of times he had delivered a truly dominant playoff series could be counted on one hand.
Even paired with Karl Malone this year, the Heat's frontcourt had held no advantage whatsoever against the Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, or Indiana Pacers.
This wouldn't do!
The team had to change!
Drafting Wade had merely been a gamble.
Pat Riley had only one true target—Shaquille O'Neal.
Thirty-one-year-old O'Neal still had at least three years left at the tail end of his prime!
Bringing in O'Neal to form a frontcourt duo with Karl Malone—that was the Heat's strategy for winning a championship.
What did Pat Riley want?
A championship!
From the day he joined the Heat until now, his pursuit of a championship had never stopped.
Every year, the Heat strengthened their roster!
Now, the Heat lacked only a player who could deliver the final blow!
O'Neal was that player!
If they signed O'Neal, the Heat's lineup next season would be Wade, Jones, Malone, and O'Neal.
If the Heat then signed a quality wing, this team would truly have what it took to rise